In a bathroom, joints need to be properly sealed against water infiltration, for example the joints between a tile wall and an adjoining bathtub or the joint between a similar wall and a counter. These joints are usually sealed using a caulking compound such as silicone or latex based products. Over time, the high humidity level in the bathroom can stimulate the growth of mildew on the caulking joints. Also, these joints can be damaged.
To improve the appearance of these joints, a number of moldings have been introduced to replace caulking. Such devices as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,427, issued on Nov. 17, 1987 to Zeilinger, are often rigid and are designed to be installed, with an adhesive, on an unprotected joint to seal it. While these devices isolate the joint from water exposure and resist deterioration better than a caulking joint, their installation requires the removal of the existing caulking, a process that can be very difficult and time consuming.
Another kind of molding has been proposed to protect a bathroom joint. Such a molding, taught by U.S. Pat. No. 2,541,768, issued on Feb. 13, 1951 to Keller, is installed by being pressed on a fresh joint of caulking before it is cured. It is often flexible and is maintained in place by the cured caulking, effectively protecting it against deterioration. Unfortunately, this device also requires the removal of the existing caulking before installation in order to be able to apply a fresh caulking joint.
Other kinds of protectors are described in the art, such as the drywall finishing edge strips taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,374, issued on Sep. 3, 1991 to Tucker. Such finishing strips are adapted to cover corners of various configurations, such as straight and arched wall corners as well as exterior and interior wall corners. These finishing strips are however limited to drywalls, as they are either too rigid to adequately conform to irregular wall and bathtub surfaces or include a plurality of slits making them unsuitable for use in a bathroom joint.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device that can improve and preserve the appearance of bathroom joints while being easily and rapidly installed.